Skip to main content

[Translation] Interview with Saiki on Rolling Stone Japan vol. 28 (2024-09-25)

Below is my translation of an interview with Saiki on *Rolling Stone Japan* vol. 28 on September 25, 2024.



**Saiki: Her indomitable spirit**

Interviewer: Hiroo Nishizawa

Saiki, the lead vocalist of Band-Maid, captivates their masters and princesses at servings with her diverse expressiveness.
Having written lyrics as well as Kobato, she feels more strongly attached to their latest album *Epic Narratives* than ever before.
We talked with her about the artwork where she expressed that, her change of mind after the COVID pandemic, and her vocals.

― Saiki-san, in which song on *Epic Narratives* did you challenge yourself most?

Saiki: It’s *Shambles*.
At the recording, I adopted a way of singing I hadn’t done before.
That’s edge voice, which I used a lot in [the down section](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf0mQOiu8J8&t=150).

— What kind of singing is edge voice?

Saiki: You close your throat and [get your voice edgy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrCZlAoPqrw).
There’s a scene in [the film *Juon*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiMRPvfVChc&t=27) where you can hear “Aahh”, right?
It’s like that.
I adopted it because I wanted to completely change the atmosphere of the down section and make it a little more mature.
— How often do you usually do your vocal training?

Saiki: I still take lessons twice a month.
I’ve been coached by [Ayako Nakanomori-san](/r/BandMaid/comments/v6ylyl/comment/ibmb2at/?context=3) since the recording of *Alone*.
It’s partly to keep my body and throat in good condition, and it’s also to change my approach to singing.
I keep training hard so that old Band-Maid songs as well as new ones will be improved and sound coolest when our masters and princesses hear them live at servings.

— Which song do you feel attached to most on this album?

Saiki: Actually I’m so strongly attached to all the songs that I can hardly choose, but if I had to, my choice would be the four songs I wrote lyrics to on my own ([*Magie*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0OxjDTf_2A), [*Forbidden tale*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiknA3mWivA), [*Letters to you*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7lS8NkIapQ), and [*TAMAYA!*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvpswsFRawM)).
I’ve listened to them so many times that they are really stuck in my memory.
The album took us three and a half years to complete, so this sounds cheesy but it’s a work I’ve put my heart and soul into.
I’m really attached to all the songs.
— You were also more committed to [the artwork](/r/BandMaid/comments/1el7dfm/news_20240925_release_bandmaid_new_album_epic/) than before, weren’t you?

Saiki: [The EP *Unleash*](/r/BandMaid/comments/wpol03/unleash_cover_artwork/) (2022) was a point of change.
I was hit hard and pretty depressed in the COVID pandemic, but there was a moment when I realized again we should send our music to the people who were waiting for it.
I vowed to never give up music and started moving forward again.
The idea of the cover artwork wouldn’t have come out without that experience.
I wanted to establish the Band-Maid world and the Band-Maid genre of music based on that experience.
The songs on this album are all attractive, so I designed the town like a theme park where each attraction stands for each song.

— Looking back on your activities so far, which song was a turning point for you, Saiki-san?
Saiki: It’s the double A-side single [*Daydreaming/Choose me*](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCaeUkrItyY&list=OLAK5uy_kjTPTEQzffwFdQZQL1M_wyf04XuCTSIHA) (2017).
[I had a polyp removed](/r/BandMaid/comments/6oebxl/important_notice_and_apology_from_bandmaid_saiki/) around that time, and I recorded the single after the surgery.
Before the surgery, it was a race against time for me to record while I could sing, so honestly I was frustrated every time.
I got a new throat after the surgery, and singing the single made me think I would start my life as a vocalist again from there.
I was glad I was able to record it for hours and completed it.

— I guess you were very anxious about your polyp removal surgery, weren’t you?

Saiki: Yes, I was.
I talked with several people who had undergone the surgery.
There’s someone whose voice remained the same, but there’s also someone whose voice changed after the polyp removal and it took more than a year to recover it.
I was anxious, but I was introduced to a good doctor.
When I listen to *Daydreaming/Choose me* again, it feels like my voice was too young, but I think that’s one of its appeals, and it was fun to develop my voice from there.

— Saiki-san, once again, what does Band-Maid mean to you?

Saiki: Band-Maid is my lifework, and I can’t imagine my life without it.
I hope this feeling will be contageous and more and more people who thankfully listen to our music will feel the same way.

— All of you members have answered the same way, which makes me feel your strong affection to Band-Maid.

Saiki: It’s truly indispensable to me.
I feel the same way about each of my bandmates and the people who support us Band-Maid.
I literally want to keep doing this until the end of my life.

— Please tell us what challenges you would like to take on and your ambitions with Band-Maid in the future.

Saiki: I had a hard time during the COVID pandemic, but I decided once again to keep my head up and keep moving forward.
We Band-Maid celebrated our 10th anniversary, entered [the new chapter](/r/BandMaid/comments/184af30/in_2024_bandmaid_will_open_a_new_chapter/), went on [the Hall Tour](/r/BandMaid/comments/1bjc2c5/bandmaid_hall_tour_2024/) that had been canceled due to the COVID pandemic, and in November we will play the return match against [Zepp Tour](/r/BandMaid/comments/1e2zyqp/new_album_announcement_spinoff_okyuji_zepp_tour/).
So, next, I definitely want to perform at Budokan, which was the most frustrating [cancellation](/r/BandMaid/comments/kvtcvf/budokan_okyuji_has_been_cancelled/).
In addition, there are still a lot of places overseas we haven’t been to.
We receive enthusiastic messages about when we’ll be able to come there, so I hope we will go and see those people more and more.
■

#bandmaid #saiki

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MIDORI TATEMATSU (LOVEBITES): "I AM PROUD THAT WE HAVE SO MANY FEMALE BANDS IN JAPAN"

"I am proud that in Japan we have so many female-fronted bands": Midori Tatematsu, Lovebites Interview – February 24, 2025 For the first time in their career, the Japanese band Lovebites is coming to Latin America, performing at the first edition of the Titans of Metal festival on March 1 at Parque Bicentenario in Mexico City. We had the chance to talk with guitarist Midori Tatematsu about her first impressions of coming to Mexico and the growing, highly admired Japanese metal scene. How do you feel about coming to Mexico for the first time and sharing the stage with major bands like W.A.S.P. and Six Feet Under at the first Titans of Metal Fest? This will be our first live performance in Latin America, so we are especially excited about it. As a band, it’s a great honor for us to share the stage with these metal legends, and personally, I really want to see them perform because I’ve never had the chance to attend one of their concerts. The worl...
Post a Comment
Read more

MIYAKO SHINES IN SOLO RECITAL AT TOKYO OPERA CITY – BLOOMING NOTES 2025!

Miyako, guitarist of LOVEBITES, held her third piano recital on her birthday. The venue changed from TOKYO FM HALL to Tokyo Opera City Recital Hall this time, and we will report on the afternoon performance of the two-part performance, which showed an increasingly ambitious attitude. Miyako appeared in a spring-like pink dress in a sold-out hall filled with spectators. First, she played Judas Priest's " Diamonds and Rust " (originally by Joan Baez), the familiar BGM used to announce the start of LOVEBITES' live performances, and Halloween's " Eagle Fly Free " from her solo debut EP "Etude Op.23" . The beautiful melodies of heavy metal songs tend to be hidden by the strong sound, but her smooth fingering and unique classical arrangement make it stand out, which is already a pleasant approach. " For the past few years, the cherry blossoms have already lost their leaves around April 5th, but it was cold until recently, so maybe the cherry...
1 comment
Read more

LOVEBITES Appears in 'Blue Man Group 2025 Shinjuku Performance' - Vocalist Asami Talks About Their Charm and Enthusiasm for the Performance | SPICE - Entertainment Information Media SPICE

The unique show 'Blue Man Group 2025 Shinjuku Performance,' which fuses rock, art, and comedy, will be held at THEATER MILANO-Za (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo) from August 6 (Wednesday) to August 31 (Sunday), 2025. Since its first performance in Japan in 2007, this will be the first time a guest vocalist has been invited for a domestic main performance. We asked Asami of LOVEBITES, who will stand on stage as a 'diva' with the mysterious blue men, about her enthusiasm. The 'Blue Man Group' was born in 1991 in Manhattan, one of the bustling downtown areas of New York, USA. The street performances by the three members with blue-painted faces attracted great attention, captivating over 50 million people worldwide. Although known for their wordless stage, shows with vocalists are also performed in countries other than Japan. In Japan, they collaborated with singer Kumi Koda when they appeared at the music event 'SUMMER SONIC' in 2007. After a hiatus due to ...
Post a Comment
Read more